A Pennsylvania police officer is receiving thanks and praise from across the globe after he rescued a dog from a car wreck in South Londonderry.

On Aug. 11, Patrol Officer Nick Ague heard on his radio that a nearby car accident had resulted in two dogs fleeing from the scene.

“I heard people say they saw a German shepherd running,” Ague told ABC News. ”Based on the location, I could tell the dog was heading west.”

When Ague and his fellow officers finally tracked Mya the German shepherd down, they tried to catch her, but every time they stopped their patrol cars, she’d take off again.

When Mya’s owner, Megan Smith, got to the scene, the dog stopped running, but then she wouldn’t move at all.

“The dog was not moving because the skin on the pads of her feet was hanging, presumably because of the distance she ran,” Ague said. “She ran two miles from the crash on hot asphalt. When I realized that’s why she couldn’t walk, the only thing I could think to do was pick her up.”

So Ague hoisted the 75-pound dog onto his back and carried her 100 yards to Smith’s car.

A patrol officer snapped a photo of him carrying the German shepherd and shared it on the police department’s Facebook page. Since then, the picture has gone viral, amassing more than 1,000 comments and almost 10,000 likes.

Mya’s paws are now almost healed, according to her owner, and the dog is back to walking normally.

Ague, a self-proclaimed animal lover with a German shepherd of his own, says thoughts of his own dog inspired him to carry Mya to safety.

“Just putting myself in the owners shoes, I would not want to be in that situation. I tried to right any wrong and do what I hoped someone would do for me,” he said.